Not all days on the road will be wonderful adventures. Our travel day from Titilaka to Arequipa was not a journey I'll remember fondly. Mostly because I was robbed of what should have been a pleasant evening exploring Arequipa followed by a nice meal in one of its many cool city center restaurants. In retrospect, the best case scenario would have been a long day. It's 1 hour from Titilaka to the Puno bus terminal. Then the bus is supposed to take maybe 6 - 7 hours, including one official stop in Juliaca. So 7-8 hours on the road. Full day. But some poor decision making and execution on the part of the Transzela bus company meant that a long day would become an extra long, disappointing day.
My moorning started fine, with a simple breakfast at Titilaka. I think I had some eggs along with this. But honestly their bread was hearty and delicious with some butter. Would have been okay with just that.
First part of the journey was smooth enough and we got to the Puno bus terminal without issue.
Some oddly disorienting lighting inside the bus terminal.
While it's not a place you want to spend extra time in, it's a good idea to arrive a bit early, allowing some time to figure out where your bus is. Each bus company seemed to be selling last minute seats. So a good amount of yelling going on, with each company's promoter calling out their route. The effect can be a little chaotic.
We still had some extra time, so I did a 1/2 lap around the perimeter. Not much to see. But I did grab a bag of popcorn.
I don't recall any of those claimed amenities. No movies, no music, no snack. Seats were comfortable, I'll give them that. And those comfy seats would be a saving grace. The wedge shaped leg rest thing in particular was pleasant.
We were supposed to leave at 10am. Was closer to 10:30 by the time we actually departed. Unclear why. Maybe trying to sell some last minute seats. Maybe we were waiting for someone. No info was shared as far as I could tell.
Scenery departing Puno was not beautiful.
About 90 minutes in we made the one official stop the bus was supposed to make, in Juliaca. More grim scenery.
Not sure why, but the bus also made a handful of unofficial stops, picking people up along the side of the road. Probably 2 or 3 of these stops, including the woman who would be my neighbor for the rest of the ride. Her decision to kick off her boots did not improve the air quality inside the bus.
Standard life on a bus type of deal so far, right? Wrong. The late start and the unofficial stops that the bus company thought they could get away with to maximize their revenue delayed us just enough so that we did not reach the stretch of Via Interoceánica Sur in time to clear the scheduled road work. When the bus rolled to a random stop on the highway I wasn't sure what was going on. In time I learned that there is regularly scheduled work happening that closes this stretch from 2 - 5:30pm. Every day. Not a secret. I think we arrived at like 2:15 or so. Know what that means? It means you're stuck for 3.5 hours on the highway.
No cel service, either. And no movies, music, or snacks. At least not anything provided by the bus company. There were some enterprising locals walking up and down the traffic line selling some things. We picked up an ice cream, I think.
This was not a good situation. We had the relative good fortune of being on the lower level. I heard some of the upper level folks complaining about the heat making things very uncomfortable for them. The biggest discomfort I dealt with was the nonstop jibber jabber from a couple of my neighbor ladies. They were yapping like they were getting paid by the syllable. Jeezus.
By the time we rolled into the Arequpia bus station it was nearly 9pm.
We rallied somewhat, walking within a tight radius of the hotel to find some generally disappointing food.
But in our limited walkabout we saw enough to realize what we missed. Downtown Arequipa had cool vibes. If we had gotten in around 5pm like we were supposed to we could have enjoyed a nice evening of leisure. Disappointing.
After completing our 11-hour touristic bus ride from Cusco, we taxied over to Kalapajra port, where we were to meet our hosts for the evening from Iquiña Lodge. Unfortunately we were once again arriving with only moments of daylight left, which limited our opportunity to fully take in the scenery. (During our day roaming around the Sacred Valley we were in a similar situation when we arrived at Mountain View Experience just before sunset.) I of course snapped a shot of the Lago Titicaca sign.
And also got one of the boat that picked us up.
Got a little bit of video during the maybe 15-minute ride. You can see the light flipped from dusk to dark quickly.
Our hosts could not have been nicer or more charming. The rooms they had arranged for us were cute and cozy.
But after a couple of long days we could have used something a bit more 'normal'. The rooms are not heated (though the 7 layers of blankets kept me plenty warm). And the bathrooms feature a 'dry toilet', which was a term I encountered for the first time in my life during my brief stay at Iquiña Lodge. Contemplating a chilly night and a morning that promised new experiences, I dropped my bags and made my way to the dining room.
Again, very quaint. And the modest-looking meal was actually pretty tasty.
I will rarely complain if you serve me chicken and potatoes. Plus, coming off an 11-hour bus trip where lunch featured rice and pasta salad, this was a feast by comparison. Especially when you factor in a tasty dessert.
After dinner I retired to my room. It was probably 8pm max. No wifi. Long day. I think I was asleep by 8:15. Slept pretty well as I recall.
Had an early start the next morning. Snapped some pics of the scenery from the balcony / deck off my hut.
Grabbed a quick and simple breakfast. Eggs, not pictured, were tasty.
Post breakfast the host gave us a brief tour / fishing lesson, which was another opportunity to take some once-in-a-lifetime pics.
No time to rest or linger, we were off with our next partner at 8:30, for a mini-tour of the lake combined with some lodge visits. This boat was pretty comfy. Would be easy to spend a few hours on it crusing around.
Our first objective was to check out some other floating island lodge options. We started with a visit to Titicaca Lodge Peru. Wow.
Some impressive decor and amenities. Not a dry toilet to be found. Then you step outside the room to visit the next cabin and again realize that you're on floating islands made from reeds.
Saw another lovely room and pondered a bit about why our reservations were made at Iquiña and not here.
Strolled around the property's common areas a bit before passing through the dining room. Also very nice.
We then visited another accommodation partner, Uros Titicaca Lodge, which was positioned --- in terms of amenities and comfort --- not quite at the same level as Titicaca Lodge, but clearly a few notches above Iquiña. My takeaway from the morning was that if you would like the unique experience of staying overnight on one of the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, you can do it in relative comfort. If you prefer to stay in a more traditional accommodations, we also visited GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca, which is a very solid option that is still extremely convenient for enjoying lake excursions to visit the floating islands. For example, you could schedule a couple hours on the Chimu islands with Enrique, Angelica, and their family. Here's Enrique greeting us while the captain docks the boat.
And here is our guide Reyna explaining to Enrique and his primo Jose that we need to get the gist of the experience in about 30 minutes instead of the usual 1.5 - 2 hours.
Enrique and family were good sports and provided us with a very informative and well-done presentation explaining how they harvest the tortora and then manage the construction of the floating islands and all the ancillary structures.
There was also a brief handicrafts demonstration.
While I have seen some similarly impressive weaving out in Michoacán (Ihuatzio and Tzintzuntzan in particular), I have not seen anything quite like this huevero. Seriously bummed out that I didn't have room to bring that thing home with me. Amazing.
Our abbreviated tour concluded with a little demonstration of their functional tortora sail-powered boats and a quick view of the lodging they offer their guests.
We said our goodbyes and received what remarkably felt like genuine hugs of appreciation for our visit. I had my concerns about what the experience in the floating islands would be like. I feared it might be about as genuine as the women roaming around Cusco pitching you to take selfies with their llamas. While undeniably designed for visiting tourists, the hospitality felt truly authentic. I'm glad we did it and would say anyone who thinks they're inclined to check it out should go ahead and do so.
Keeping out busy schedule moving, we zipped through visits to the above-mentioned GHL Hotel as well as Casa Andina Premium to get a sense of what a land-based stay would entail. GHL is certainly a notch higher in terms of setting and amenities, but both would be more than fine for a brief stay within the framework of a longer journey through Peru.
Done with the Puno-adjacent elements of our Lake Titicaca visit, we moved on to something entirely different. In a dramatic contrast to our previous night at Iquiña Lodge, we would be spending the next night in the luxurious environment of Titilaka Lodge. The lodge is about an hour east / southeast of Puno.
And the scenery is in varying parts scruffy city limits, smaller town scenes, and small-time agricultural.
As you approach the lodge there is something about this side of the lake that strikes you. Sky seems enormous and the light is crisp.
Step into the well-appointed reception area and the floor-to-ceiling windows that draw you outside.
Nice. Having passed on the idea of an early morning shower in my 40-something degree hut, that was my first order of business once I got into my spa-like room. Next was lunch. This sandwich was delicious, as was the lemonade (again, Peru knows how to make a good lemonade).
Refreshed and recharged, we took a hotel-supplied excursion to the Chullpas de Molloko archeological site. Interesting and worth seeing. Especially nice in the late afternoon sun.
On the way back to the hotel we passed through Acora and right by the Mercado Municipal. Were I visiting solo or with Judy, this is where we'd stop. Not this time, though, so just a few pics in passing.
Back at the hotel the next thing on the agenda was a 'sundowner' down by the lake. Wine, fire pit, some snacks. Looked nice, but I chose to peek from my room and rest for a bit prior to dinner.
I did, however, get myself motivated to head outside and capture some sunset shots around the property. Stunning.
There is also a small and public (I think) beach just a few minutes walking from the hotel, so I wandered over to check that out.
The evening finished with an educational talk about the Incas understanding of astronomy followed by dinner.
Talk was indeed educational for a while before he started losing me. And dinner was okay. Dining room is lovely. Rustic elegance. Food was the weak link. I got a fried chicken dish and the skin was not the least bit crispy. Odd and only miss during my stay at Titilaka. Lunch was delicious and breakfast the next morning was top notch, too.
So, what's my takeaway? Well, I saw three legit ways to pass time visiting Lake Titicaca. If you want a unique-in-the-world kind of stay, there are floating lodges that provide a strong level of comfort and service. If you prefer traditional hotel comfort at either end of your day touring the lake, GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca is a very solid option. And, if you have the means, well, Titilaka is something else entirely. Luxury in a setting that feels like the edge of the universe.
